Jean-de-Dieu Soult

Nicolas-Jean-de-Dieu Soult (29 March 1769-26 November 1851) was a French marshal, one of the 26 Marshals.

Biography
Nicolas-Jean-de-Dieu Soult came from a provincial middle-class family. Thrown into poverty on the death of his father, he enlisted as a private in 1785. Benefiting from exceptional opportunities for promotion in the French Revolutionary Wars, he gained much combat experience, notably taking part in the defeat of Austrian and Russian forces at Zurich in 1799. As a marshal, he commanded a corps in the center of the line at Austerlitz, leading the crucial assault on the Pratzen Heights. After campaigns against the Prussians and Russians in 1806-07, he was sent to Spain.

Sporadic Success
Soult fumbled the pursuit of the British army to Coruna in January 1809, allowing it to escape, but the following November crushed the Spanish army at Ocana.

His reputation then suffered during the Peninsular War, where he became involved in destructive disputes with other French commanders and found the mobile warfare demanded by Napoleon impossible in war-ravaged, guerilla-ridden countryside. When he did go to battle, as at Albuera in May 1811, he failed to defeat his enemy. Nevertheless, he fought brilliantly with inadequate forces against Wellington, pressing up from the Pyrenees to Toulouse in 1814. His role as Napoleon's chief-of-staff during the Hundred Days was less impressive. After a period in exile, he returned to France and lived his final years as a respected political and military dignitary.